John Wesley Hardin

John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853—August 19, 1895) was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West. He was born in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. In the history of nineteenth century western America, Hardin was an especially brutal, prolific killer. Hardin shot a sheriff in the back (Hardin would later die the same way), murdered more than one man after declaring a truce, and even killed a man who was asleep. By the time he went to prison in 1878, he claimed to have killed 44 men. This cannot be verified however as Hardin was also a notorious liar who frequently altered his description of events in order to cast himself in a better light (which could have meant a bloodier light). Hardin's criminal career resulted not only in the deaths of his victims but also in the deaths of several members of his own family who were killed by Texas Rangers seeking revenge.